It’s a big year for fans of Jeopardy!, America’s favorite quiz show. Fifty years ago this week, on March 30, 1964, the genial Art Fleming hosted the very first episode of Jeopardy! as part of NBC’s daytime lineup. And the modern Alex Trebek–hosted version of the show is currently holding an anniversary tournament to celebrate another special birthday: it turns thirty this year.

Art Fleming, the first host of Jeopardy! (Getty Images)

But even if you’ve been playing along at home for decades, I bet you don’t know everything there is to know about Jeopardy! Since I’ve spent more time in the Jeopardy! trenches than any living human who is not a Canadian game show host, I’ve decided to bring you backstage with me on a little tour. Of course, all my responses will be in the form of a question. It’s just a habit by now.

A: Alex Trebek keeps this on his podium at all times.Q: What is a paper copy of the game board, along with a black marker?

Alex’s “script” is a paper version of the six-by-five Jeopardy! board, and when he reads a clue, he marks it out with a big, black “X.” That helps him keep track of which clues are left. Alex used to stand behind his podium; today, at age 73, he perches on a stool to make it through the workday in comfort. (Jeopardy! tapes five games, a full week of shows, in a single afternoon.)

A: In case of emergency, every Jeopardy! category has a secret one of these.Q: What is a sixth clue?

Jeopardy! encourages contestants to play the categories from top to bottom, because going out of order, like “bad boy” Arthur Chu did last month, might confuse Alex or the staffers who operate the game board. On very rare occasions, a clue will be revealed out of order, so the Jeopardy! writers always prepare one spare clue in every category, just in case.

A: The three contestant podiums, on the other hand, each have one of these hidden underneath.Q: What is a small computer tower?

Peek inside your podium during a commercial break and you’ll see the computer that operates all your equipment: your buzzer, the light-pen with which you write your Final Jeopardy response, and the TV screen that displays your name and score.

A: This is the toughest bit of Jeopardy! equipment to master.Q: What is the signaling device?

Here’s the trick: you can’t “ring in” as soon as you know the answer. You have to wait for Alex to finish reading the clue, at which point an offstage staffer manually activates all the buzzers. Ring in too early, and you actually get locked out for a fraction of a second. Ring in too late and you’ll get beat. Jeopardy! is a brain game, but it’s also a thumb game.

A: Even the smartest contestants screw up this part of the game on the reg.Q: What is wagering?

Players often bet too little on Daily Doubles and too much on Final Jeopardy, which is usually a much harder clue. The most common mistake is for the player running a close second in Final Jeopardy to bet big. The smarter play would be to make a tiny bet, so you’d win no matter what if the leader guesses wrong. Keep an eye out and you might see somebody on the show screw this up once or twice a week.

A: Jeopardy! staffers and contestants could actually go to jail for this.Q: What is try to rig the show?

Because of the quiz show scandals of the 1950s, it’s still a felony in America to cheat on a game show. So backstage security on Jeopardy! is incredibly tight. Everyone is kept far away from anyone who might know the answers—including Alex Trebek. Contestants are sequestered like a jury, and trooped around together like a chain gang, even for bathroom breaks. The show’s security isn’t always perfect, though. In October 2009, a man named Jeff Kirby finished third on Jeopardy! Eagle-eyed home viewers noticed that Kirby had already appeared on the show a decade earlier—and had even worn the same tie! The show was not amused at Kirby’s violation of the show’s “one appearance to a customer” policy, and took back his runner-up prize. Double Jeopardy! is, after all, banned by the Constitution.

AMG/Parade Digital

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